Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 126485 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 632(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126485 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 632(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
I pulled him against me. “Of course, I’ll come back. Why would you ask something like that?”
“Imogen l-l-l-l-left, and my d-d-d-d-d-dad never wanted me.”
My eyes burned. “Oh, Finn. Imogen got stuck in New York and she needs my help to return to you, that’s why I’m leaving, and you know I can’t be without my little cuddle bug for long.” I hugged him very tightly and kissed his cheek. “I’ll call you often, okay? And before you know it, I’ll be back with Imogen.”
I really hoped it was true. I didn’t like to lie to Finn, even if it was to console him. I wasn’t even sure if Imogen wanted to be found and if she did, would she even consider returning to Dublin? She had never accepted her role as a mother, and while she’d tried to spend time with Finn, she’d always been more like a sister to him. Would she even care if I told her he missed her? She probably wouldn’t believe me, in order to protect herself and her vision of the future.
Sometimes this made me really mad, but then I remembered how happy Imogen had looked before she left for New York.
“Will you help me sort my socks? I can’t do it alone.”
Finn pulled back, dragged his sleeve over his nose, and nodded. He loved to help me with chores, and it was always a good way to distract him when he was sad or upset. With his tongue wedged between his lips in utter concentration, he began to pile socks and tights in one corner of the suitcase. Tears burned my eyes. This was only a short-term goodbye, but I was still inexplicably sad.
My heartbeat picked up as the airplane touched down at JFK. This was my first time so far from home. Everything was unfamiliar, even the smell. I told the cab driver Gulliver’s address, surprised by his decorated dashboard. It looked like a shrine straight out of a Bollywood movie. The cab drivers in Dublin sometimes had an occasional decoration, but I’d never seen anything like this. I couldn’t help but wonder if one of the pieces would go flying in a car crash and impale me.
When I finally drew my gaze away from the colorful deities, my breath lodged in my throat at the sheer size of the city. The skyscrapers towered over us, obstructing my view of the blue sky and casting shadows on the sidewalks. The cab came to a stop right before an old church that looked entirely out of place surrounded by skyscrapers.
I paid him, ignoring his pinched look when I gave him a one-dollar tip, and got out, hooking my backpack over my shoulder. The church looked gloomy in the dark, almost foreboding, yet the brownstone façade and stone pathway smoothed by thousands of walking feet, reminded me more of my hometown than anything else had so far in this too-big city.
Opening the gate, I walked around the building, searching for something that looked like an entrance. A string of honking followed by shouting made me jump. Dublin wasn’t a quiet city, mind you, but New York was an onslaught for my nervous system.
I found a small house adjacent to the church with a bell and a plaque with Gulliver’s last name below: Killeen. I wasn’t sure why seeing the name surprised me. We were family but I hadn’t seen him in so long. Would he welcome me or send me away?
I rang the bell. After some shuffling behind the door, it finally opened. It took me a moment to recognize my uncle. In the many years since I’d last seen him, he’d gained about twenty pounds and his hairline had receded, but he had the same fiery red hair like me. His brows pinched then his eyes widened with recognition. “Aislinn?”
I nodded and smiled awkwardly. “That’s me.” I’d never had a fight with him. Even if Mum was angry at him, and he at her, that didn’t have to mean we couldn’t get along.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, not necessarily in a rejecting way but I was yet to be invited inside. He was dressed in a simple white T-shirt, black dress pants and comfy slippers.
“Can’t your niece come to visit her only uncle?”
He shook his head. “Lying is a sin, Aislinn. You’d do well to remember that, even if your mother lives a sinful life.”
Anger rose inside me. “Mum’s worked hard all her life and managed to raise two children by herself.”
“She wouldn’t have had to if she’d stayed true to our beliefs and waited until marriage.”
I couldn’t believe him. But he was my only option in New York. It was getting late, and I didn’t want to roam the city looking for a cheap place to stay. “You could have helped her.”